Courage to stand up
by Bl4ckHunter
Summary: One-shot story. Earth-2 Laurel decides to stand up to Diaz, instead of being his lapdog.


**Something that had been nagging me for a while and I wanted to let it out.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _**DC ****Comics**_ **or the CW TV shows** **_Arrow_**_, __**The** **Flash**__, __**Legends** **of** **Tomorrow**, **Supergirl**_** or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.**

* * *

"I know what you're capable of. You can bring walls down smashing. You really expect me to believe that you are scared of a thug like Diaz?" Quentin demanded as he faced Laurel in the Mayor's office.

"He is so much more than just a thug! And yes. Yes. I am scared. And you should be scared too." Laurel said, visibly frightened.

"Oh, please." Quentin scoffed. "Oliver's beaten lot worse than him. And I'm pretty sure someone like you has too. So, what? You're going to stand up or are you going to roll back like a coward? Because if you're going to do the latter, then Laurel, my real Laurel and Sara… they'd be ashamed of you if they could see you."

* * *

"What matters to you more, Anatoly? Honor or money?" Oliver pleaded with Anatoly as he showed him a Pakhan's knife as Anatoly considered, realizing how much he had become corrupt. "We were friends once. And you knew what was the right thing to do. Tell me, what do you think is the right thing to do? You were once an honorable man. Listen to reason. Diaz needs to be stopped, deep down you know I'm right."

Anatoly took a breath. "What do you need from me?"

* * *

Laurel entered Diaz's office as he was talking on the phone before shouting in rage as he threw it against a wall as it smashed.

"Pissed too much?" Laurel asked, mocking.

"The FBI has arrested Quadrant and the city officials are under investigation." Diaz glowered before he glared at Laurel, seeing the smile on her face. "What did you do?"

Laurel was silent before Diaz neared her and pulled out from her pocket a small device that was beeping and Diaz glared, recognizing it. A digital sniffer. Laurel copied the data from his flash drive. Diaz smacked Laurel on her cheek, knocking her out before the Green Arrow jumped down from above.

"Get away from her or I'm gonna put you down for good." Oliver said.

Oliver dodged as Diaz swung his knife and fired three arrows at once but Diaz dodged, avoiding them. Diaz picked a piece of rebar, using it as a weapon as he swung it but Oliver blocked it before whacking Diaz in the face with his bow as Diaz staggered back. Oliver blocked again as Diaz attacked with his rebar and rolled down to avoid as Diaz struck again.

Oliver got up, landing a blow at Diaz's face. Diaz staggered back before blocking Oliver's punches and countering with a hit to Oliver's face as Oliver stumbled back. Diaz managed to cut Oliver in the hip as he laughed and Oliver grunted in pain.

"Tonight, I'll show everyone by what no one could do before. Killing the Green Arrow!" Diaz said, smiling like an insane person before rushing at Oliver and tackling him as Oliver staggered. Oliver dodged as Diaz attacked with his knife again. Oliver grabbed Diaz's arm as they both struggled. "Can you feel it, Queen? Can you feel it all slipping away?"

Laurel slowly came to as she saw Oliver fight Diaz.

Oliver dodged as Diaz's blade almost scratched his neck and jumped back. "So what do you think of me now?"

Oliver rushed at Diaz and hit him in the face as Diaz spat out blood before wiping his mouth.

"You talk too much." Oliver said.

Diaz laughed crazily and attacked again with his knife but Oliver dodged. Diaz blocked Oliver's punches before trying to land a blow or stab Oliver but Oliver blocked Diaz's punch and grabbed his hand in which had the knife as Diaz tried to stab him in the head. Diaz roared, pushing Oliver back and managing to scratch him in the shoulder

"What do you think of me now?!" Diaz snarled, glaring.

"That you're nothing but a loser and a two-bit thug that's stuck on the boot of people of this city, no matter how many people you've got on your payroll. A D-list loser that even has to try and beat a girl, which is below your level. You actually make me feel sorry for you." Oliver said.

"Big talk from a dead man!" Diaz said, his glare intensifying.

Oliver dodged as Diaz attacked. "Bribing and extorting? That's page one in the thug's manual. And besides, do you think that people like the Quadrant would follow a dirtbag like you? The Dragon? You? Please. More like a lizard. Less than a lizard. A cockroach."

"You take that back!" Diaz snapped.

"A one-gimmick hack. The joke of the underworld." Oliver continued taunting and mocking.

"Damn you! Shut up!" Diaz exploded. Oliver dodged as Diaz rushed at him and tried to slice him but Oliver avoided all Diaz's attacks.

"Killing Cayden's son and turning him against me? Alongside with Vince, Anatoly, Laurel and Schenk? If they knew it was you, who had been pulling the strings the whole time, they'd hunt you down like a dog." Oliver said. "I wouldn't want to be you."

"I'm not scared of them anymore!" Diaz snarled. "I'll kill them, just like I'm going to kill you!"

Oliver dodged as Diaz attacked with his knife again before Oliver punched Diaz in the chest and then in the face. Diaz dodged another punch but Oliver spun around and hit Diaz in the face with his elbow before landing another hit in Diaz's face as Diaz staggered back. Oliver dodged again as Diaz tried to stab him before Oliver grabbed his arm and kicked Diaz in the leg. Diaz grunted before headbutting Oliver, breaking his nose as Oliver stumbled back.

Oliver did a roundhouse kick, hitting Diaz in the face but Diaz tackled Oliver to the ground. "I have you now!" Oliver dodged as Diaz tried to stab him in the head and missed. Oliver pushed Diaz away as Laurel freed herself from the chains and jumped on a nearby catwalk.

Oliver punched Diaz twice, in the face and in the chest but Diaz blocked the third punch and punched Oliver in the chest and in the face as Oliver staggered. Oliver blocked Diaz's following blow before slamming his face against a wall as Diaz knelt down. Oliver attempted to kick Diaz but Diaz grabbed Oliver's leg and threw him down on the ground. Oliver rolled away as Diaz attempted to finish him off and dodged as Diaz tried to stab him before hitting Diaz in the face. Diaz kicked Oliver as Oliver stumbled back before Diaz stabbed him in the shoulder and he laughed.

"I win! I win! I…"

Laurel grabbed Diaz and threw him away before Diaz got up.

"Forgot about me." She turned to Oliver. "You OK?" Oliver nodded before they turned to Diaz. "Let's kick his ass."

"I agree." Oliver nodded.

Oliver and Laurel rushed at Diaz. Diaz blocked Oliver's punch and Laurel's kick but Laurel kicked again, hitting Diaz in the face as he stumbled back. Diaz was barely able to block Oliver's and Laurel's combined efforts as Oliver threw a punch at Diaz's chest as Diaz staggered before blocking Laurel's kick.

Oliver rushed at Diaz, trying to knock him down but Diaz rolled back before Laurel hit Diaz in the face. Oliver kicked Diaz in the stomach as Diaz grunted before Laurel did an uppercut, hitting Diaz in the chin as Diaz flew back and crashed against a gasoline tank as it spilled on him.

Diaz glared, throwing a knife but Oliver blocked it with his bow as it flew at the light above Diaz. The light shattered and exploded in sparks that ignited the gasoline Diaz was covered in before he burst in flames. Diaz rushed at Oliver and Laurel, roaring and screaming before Laurel unleashed her Siren Cry and Diaz flew back against a window, falling to his demise, burning to death.

Oliver turned to Laurel and smiled. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Laurel said as she and Oliver shook hands as she looked ashamed. "And… for what it's worth… I'm sorry for everything, Ollie. I guess I got so used to being asides people darker than me that I…"

"You don't have to be in that darkness anymore. What matters is that in the end, you did the right thing. And… I'm sorry I had given up on you. I wish I could take it all back." Oliver said as Laurel's eyes filled with tears.

"Me too." Laurel nodded before hugging Oliver. "Maybe we can start over, when we can leave all this behind."

Anatoly then entered as Oliver smiled. "Thank you."

"I did not do this for you." Anatoly said. "I just wanted to see who had honor. Now I know."

Oliver and Anatoly smiled at each other. "I'm sorry for everything."

"So am I. And also, I wanted to thnak you. Now I can go home." Anatoly said as he and Oliver shook hands. "Take care, Oliver."

"You too, Anatoly."

* * *

**_Later_**

"_It is shocking reveal that the entire city infrastructure had been extorted and bribed by Ricardo Diaz, who intended to arrest Oliver Queen for alleged accusations of him being the Green Arrow and now we have proof that the leaked photo has been falsified and Samanda Watson, by the order of the President, was relieved of her badge and status of FBI agent…_"

"Uh-huh. Really. Jesus… I… OK. Thanks. And tell Oliver that we're…" Dinah swallowed, like if she just tasted sour grapes. "That we're truly very sorry for what's happened. Thanks." She hung up before she, Curtis and Rene turned to the TV, realizing how big idiots they were.

* * *

Diggle turned off the TV, wiping his face in frustration and reconsidering whether he and Oliver should talk again.

* * *

**_Oliver's apartment_**

Oliver, Laurel, Sara, Thea, Roy, Quentin, Felicity and William were at the table, enjoying their family dinner.

* * *

**Honestly, Earth-2 Laurel siding with Diaz never really made any sense to me. Diaz was so ridiculously overpowered, just like Chase, that everyone was made brain-dead. And as I've mentioned before, the way Diaz was able to kick Oliver's ass, makes no sense, since there's no background on Diaz's fighting skills and he was nothing more than a lowlife thug that was a cheap ripoff of Netflix MCU's _Daredevil's_ Wilson Fisk.**

**I partly get that Laurel thought that she owed Chase or Cayden James for saving her life but Diaz not really, asides from her misguided attempt at protecting Quentin but like I've said, Diaz was ridiculously overpowered. Laurel has shown to have her own moral values and honor and I think Quentin could've gotten her to stand up to Diaz in 6x20 instead of Oliver's trial, if it wasn't for Guggenheim's and Mericle's writing and plot over logic.**

**If she had stood up to Diaz and decided to help Oliver and Quentin earlier, Diaz could've taken down much sooner without Oliver having to make a deal with the FBI.**

**Please review and let me know if you have enjoyed this one-shot.**

**With regards**

**_Bl4ckHunter_**


End file.
